


Slow Dancing in the Dark

by DroppedAllTheseOreos



Series: Merm-Aid [2]
Category: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Cannibalism Mentions, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 00:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17070269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DroppedAllTheseOreos/pseuds/DroppedAllTheseOreos
Summary: Graphite lives a solitary life in the depths of the ocean. But he makes an exception for one vampire squid to come into his life after they almost kill each other. They keep crossing paths, and the chases and fights from when they were two predators stalking each other turn into a weird friendship, both of them discovering they enjoy each other as dancing partners rather than food.





	Slow Dancing in the Dark

Graphite is no stranger to going for weeks and weeks without food. Growing up in the deep, dark trenches of the ocean floor made that a necessity. It’s tough living, but the hardiest lifeforms in the sea live and thrive here, with the deadliest of all being the merpeople. "Non-sentient" food is scarce, so many turn to cannibalism. The practice becomes more and more commonplace at lower depths. Graphite’s had his fair share of killing other mers for food, not thinking much of it, just doing what he needs to survive.

He swam out to his usual hunting grounds, gliding through the water at a crawling pace, keeping his eyes out for any signs of potential prey out there in the dark. After circling for what felt like ages, Graphite was ready to give up. Just as he was deciding between trying another spot or going home, he sees a familiar light and his gills flutter around an excited gasp. He slithers towards it.

As he gets closer, a vampire squid mer comes into focus. The squid is turned away from him, but he can easily tell it’s the one he’s familiar with from the missing tentacle and scars marring the mantle, reaching up his side and twisting back to his shoulder blade. A small grin spreads across Graphite’s face as he remembers the name whispered against his ear last time they met. Kiriya.

Graphite brushes against the ends of the tentacles, sticky bioluminescent liquid smearing across his body as he does– the other mer jolts. A moment later, he feels more than he hears the soft laugh right before the tentacles and mantle start curling down around him. Vampire squids were docile scavengers, usually just floating around and eating what scraps they could get, but the mers needed a little more energy, and turned to the same food source as many others in this deep, dark corner of the world.

While he trusted this mer more than almost any other, he still uses a strong flick of his tail to glide out of the embrace, not planning on being trapped and killed today. They fall into the familiar dance they made together over the past months. He comes to eye level with Kiriya, tail lights glowing brighter as he circles around him a few times. Once they’re face to face again, Graphite gives him a smirk and propels himself backward with another stroke of his tail, keeping himself illuminated as he retreats into the darkness. Not wasting a beat, Kiriya follows after. He’s slow, not made for hunting and chasing like Graphite is, so he needs as much time as he can give himself for this part of their dance.

He follows the bright glow and brief streaks of light Graphite leaves in his wake as he gracefully glides through the darkness. Kiriya loses him sometimes, Graphite’s lights being swallowed by the shadows if he goes too far, but Graphite always manages to return to Kiriya’s view before too long. They continue the chase for a while, just enjoying the game they’ve set up for themselves, Kiriya admiring Graphite’s acrobatics and Graphite trying to ignore the fact that he likes showing off for this guy. Finally, Graphite relents and slows down.

It takes a while, but Kiriya catches up at last. Graphite comes to a full stop, and Kiriya’s tentacles brush against his back lightly as he circles Graphite once. Kiriya gives him a little twirl when he’s in front of the viperfish again, sending the lights at the end of his tentacles swirling around in an alluring display. When his limbs settle, Graphite leans in ‘til they’re almost skin to scale and takes the lead. They glide through the water together, orbiting each other in a slow rhythm lighting each other with the soft glow of their bioluminescence. Eventually, they come to a stop, their lights dimming so they can rest, just enjoying each other’s presences in the quiet dark.

After a bit, Graphite twists his body upwards, propelling himself up. He floats above and away from him for a few moments before letting his tail gradually drop down and illuminate the face he’s come to enjoy these past few months. Kiriya recoils at the sudden change in lighting, and Graphite feels a pang of regret for him. But he regains his bearings quickly, squinting into the light and blinking, letting his eyes adjust before looking up and smiling at the viperfish.

Graphite, captivated by Kiriya’s grin, lets his tail wander too close to his face. Before he could move, the other mer holds up a hand, making sure it’s in plain view, hovering near his scaly hide. Looking into his eyes, Graphite could see a question in them, asking for permission. He shudders but manages to nod. Kiriya moves slow, gently sliding his hand over scales and fins until he has it cupped around Graphite comfortably.

Still moving ever so slowly, making sure his movements were clear, Kiriya moves in, pressing his temple into the tail, then turning his head until his cheek squishes against it. Graphite feels his gills flare at the sides of his neck when Kiriya starts nuzzling his tail. With a small sigh that sends shivers up Graphite’s spine, Kiriya pulls away a little. His lips are still dangerously close to Graphite’s flesh, but Graphite realizes he doesn’t really mind. The thought strikes him as terrifying for a moment, but then Kiriya is looking up at him with soft eyes and a playful smirk, and he melts a little, pushing his tail back against Kiriya’s cheek. He barely registers the feel of the squid’s gasp against him before kisses are being pressed into him carefully.

His gills flutter frantically at the touch, and he lets out a low sound that makes the squid look up at him with something akin to awe sparkling in his eyes despite his sly grin. After a beat, he nuzzles into Graphite like he’s trying to hide his expression. Graphite freezes, gills flaring at the hint of teeth from the smile pushed into his scales. He instinctively whips his tail from the squid’s hands, fear and excitement swirling in his gut, his head pulsing with a dizzying sensation. He faintly notes his tail lights are glowing ridiculously bright, throwing Kiriya’s face into sharp relief. He takes a few moments before the squid’s expression finally clicks with him.

His lower lip caught in his sharp teeth, brow knit anxiously like he’s ready to bolt at any moment. Graphite quickly connects it to his sudden retreat and leans down to come face to face with the other mer. He floats upside down and holds his hands out, just close enough, so their intended target was obvious. But he still gives some breathing room to allow him time and space to reject the contact.

Kiriya’s brow twists in confusion rather than nervousness now, he tilts his head, intrigued. But it’s still not a yes. Graphite makes a small gesture with his hands, asking again. His eyes narrow in suspicion but he nods nonetheless, and Graphite reaches out. He gives Kiriya lots of time to back away or shake his head, reject Graphite’s approach in any way. The moment stretches out to feel like hours between them, but he keeps eye contact the whole time until Graphite brushes his hands against the other mer’s cheeks, only then did Kiriya’s eyes slide closed as he leans into the touch.

And still, moving ever so slowly, Graphite brings their faces together until their lips are barely brushing. He lets the space between them linger, an invitation for Kiriya to close the distance if this was something he really wanted. Graphite starts losing hope after what feels like an eternity. He flicks his tail to pull away, but that’s the moment when Kiriya leans in. He grabs at Graphite’s wrists quickly as they’re thrown off balance by the sudden movement.

The motion manages to flip them both, reversing their positions, so Kiriya is hanging upside down as he presses his lips against Graphite’s. His mantle drifts down over them slowly, closing out the rest of the world to give them this small moment together.

Graphite leans heavily into the kiss, but they keep it chaste for a moment, just taking in the feel of each other. Kiriya’s the first to make a move; Graphite feels the smirk right before his lower lip is being nipped. He jolts at the sharp contact, but Kiriya’s tongue moves in quickly to soothe away the sting of his teeth. Encouraged by the bite, Graphite starts to move his lips, tongue darting out to swipe across Kiriya’s.

Everything is clumsy and strange, both of them clearly not experienced in this, but Graphite leans into it hard. They both go at it recklessly at first, craving more and more of the sensation. But after the first few nips that go a little too deep, they try to be more careful of their teeth. Kiriya keeps gently scraping his fangs against Graphite’s skin and lips, sucking at a place where he nipped too hard and blood gently billowed out for a moment. All of it’s skirting the edge of danger in his mind. His instincts are screaming at him to move away, but the rest of him pulling is Kiriya in and refusing to let go.

He faintly thinks that this is the most dangerous thing he could be doing, and wonders if he’ll be betrayed in an instant, killed, ripped to shreds and eaten. The thought is pushed away by the realization that he wouldn’t mind it, as long as Kiriya was the one to do it. He feels a rush of terror and exhilaration at that. When they finally pull away from each other, Graphite thinks the feeling is mutual from what he sees in Kiriya’s eyes. Or at least he hopes that’s what he’s reading in the dazed and open smile that makes Kiriya practically glow all on his own.

**Author's Note:**

> I did some art of these big, dumb boys <https://twitter.com/OrangeCylon64/status/1082759165024428032>
> 
> Also, title based on Slow Dancing in the Dark by Joji


End file.
